Books › If I Ran the Circus
If I Ran the Circus
First published 1956 · 65 pages
A breathless, rhythmic celebration of a child's boundless imagination spiraling into joyful absurdity.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like riding a runaway train of pure, unadulterated imagination. The experience is incredibly energetic, driven forward by a bouncy, infectious rhythm that practically demands to be read aloud with theatrical enthusiasm. As the pages turn, the atmosphere shifts from a quiet, empty lot into a dizzying, zany wonderland of escalating absurdity. The mood is relentlessly joyful and wondrous, wrapping the reader in a sun-warmed blanket of childhood ambition where absolutely anything is possible. The language itself is a playground of tongue-twisting nonsense words and clever rhymes that delight the ear. It is a perfect match for young dreamers who love silly sounds, and for parents seeking a highly engaging, propulsive read-aloud that celebrates the sheer creative freedom of a child's mind.
- Mood
- zany
- energetic
- wondrous
- joyful
- Tone
- enthusiastic
- playful
- hyperbolic
- whimsical
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- boundless imagination · childhood ambition · escalating absurdity · creative freedom
- The writing
- Bouncy, rhythmic anapestic tetrameter bursts with inventive nonsense words and infectious, tongue-twisting rhymes.
- The arc
- The journey begins as a quiet daydream and spirals upward into a dizzying, triumphant crescendo of impossible wonders.
- Who it's for
- Young readers who delight in silly sounds and escalating absurdity, as well as adults who love performing energetic, theatrical read-alouds.
About the book
A young boy imagines the fantastic animals and incredible acts he will have for his greatest of all circuses.
Description from Open Library.
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